Fire-escape



(N o Mode1.)'

. N. J. POWELL.

. FIRE ESCAPE. No. 291,001'. Patented Deo. 25,1883.

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` N. PETERS, naw-ummm'. Washinton. nl;

.PATENT- "rn-ics."v f j NEWMAN J. POWELL, OE roNTrAo, ILLINOIS.

'FIRE-ESCAPE.

Y SPECIFICATION forming part of I etters Patent 1Y0. 291,001, dated December 25, 1883,

` Application sied lMarcil 14,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern.- v

Be it known that I, NEWMAN J. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pon'- tiac, in the county` of Livingston and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- aot description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I My invention relates to nre-escapes; and it consists in the part-s which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my fire-escape, showing it mounted in a suitable framing, which may be a part of the framing surrounding a Window'or a framing specially lprepared for it and attached in a suitable location on the side of a house. Fig.

2 is an end elevation made on an enlarged scale, and showing governors and the manner of couplingrthem to the drum. Fig. 3 is a vertical -section Online x x, Fig. 2, but made on the same scale with the devices, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows the drum made on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 5 shows a modication in the manner of applyingthe governors.

a is the roller, made slightly oval, as shown, so that the rope Will more readily wind thereon in compact form.`

Onone end of the roller I x a sheave, a', and I also provide on this end'a journal, c?, which is supported ina suitable boxing on the framing-bar A. On the other end of the roller I fix a disk, c3, on the periphery 'of which I form a series of ratchet-teeth; and I also provide the journal ci, which is made somewhat longer than the journal ai, so that the parts hereinafter described may be placed thereon.

roller is turned in the other direction, th bracket is carriedaround therewith.

Instead of the pawls and ratchet-teeth, a

` clutch of ordinary con stru ct-ioncoul d be formed on the contiguous faces of the disk a3 and bracket b. I prefer to use the pawls as shown. The bracket is provided with the arms b2 b2 arranged on opposite sides of and extended outward in the same direction with the journal a". On the outer'ends of these bracketarms I pivot the governors, arms, or levers c c', on the ends of which are placed the governor-Weights c2 c2. The levers c c are pivoted at points intermediatebetween their ends,

soas to provide the shorter ends c3 c3 and the longer ends ctc, on whichthe weights c2 c2 are xed. I connect the shorter end of one lever With the longer end of the other lever by coup-` lers d d', which are curved slightly outward aty their middle portions to adapt them to pass clear of the brake-drum hereinafter described. The couplers d d. have their ends on opposite sides of and equidistant from the pivotal cen-.

ters c of the levers c c, and they are held on pivot-pins d2 di. Said couplers may be made of iron or other suitable material. The governors, when pivoted and coupled together, as described, will swing freely and simultaneously O11 their pivotal centers, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2.

I In Order to make more efficient operation to the governors, I employ contracting-springs e e, Which connect the extreme or outer end of each short arm of the levers c c with the weight on the opposite arm, as shown. The purpose of this spring is to prevent the governors from applying the brake with too great force to the brake-drum. The device works very Well Without the springs; but I prefer to use them, as thereby I get better results. The couplers d d being connected to the leverscc, as described, they make a `perfect balance of the one governor against theother.

f is the brake drum, which is provided With a central sleeve, d', which receives and forms a bearing for the journal a4 of the roller a. The drum is provided with bolts a5 and nuts c, whereby it is made fast to the framing-bar A and prevented from revolving. O11 its end next the roller it is provided with the rim d2, which prevents the braking-belt from coming in contact with the surface of the bracket I). The governors c c are carried around the drum by the revolutions of the roller and bracket.

IOC

r/ is the brake-belt, made of any suitable material. It may be made of leather or any suitable flexible material, or it may be in the form of an endless chain consisting of a series of links pivoted or hinged together and bearing on the surface of the drum in such manner as to give the necessary friction to check the speed of the roller when required. I do not limit myself to the use of any particular kind of material ont of which to make the brakebelt. The brake-belt g has one of its ends, g', made fastto one of the armsoi` the bracket b, and has its other end, g2, made fast to the governor pivoted on the opposite end of said bracket. rIhe belt is passed once or more times around the drum. EI have usually found that one complete turn of the belt around the drum is sufcient for all ordinary purposes; but it can be made long enough to go twice or more times around, if desired. The brake-belt, having one end fixed and iinmovable and its other end attached to the movable governor, will be drawn tight around the drum whenever the weights c2 are thrown outward or away lfrom each other, and whenever the Weights approach the drum the brake- 4 belt will be slackened.

h is the escaperope. It is wound upon the roller a, and is provided on its free end with any suitable means whereby the person may hold thereto and be let down to the ground. The rope is wound by close compact folds, and is held by a clasp or tension device, h, arranged alittle way below the roller. The object of this tension device is to hold taut that portion of the rope between it and the roller, so that the said rope will wind up closely on the roller.

k is a rope put over the sheaves a and around a small anti-friction pulley, c, arranged a suitable distance below the roller a., and held by suitable means to the frame A.

k2 is a spring secured to the pulley-frame 7.1 at one end. The lower ends of said spring are secured to the frame A. This spring draws down on the pulley and maintains a tension on the rope 7.'. By this rope 7c the roller a may be turned and the escape-rope wound up after having been unwound by the descent of a person to the ground.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of governors applied to the roller. A miter gearwheel, m, is placed loosely on the journal a* of the roller. Just outside of this gear I nx rigidly to the `journal a a ratchet-disk, m', which is engaged by pawls m2, pivoted on the side of the gear m. rlhe gear m meshes with a miter-pinion, n, the shaft of which is provided with fxed arms u u', to which the governors are pivoted. The governors are provided with brake-shoes o o, which bear upon a fixed brake-drum, o. I have other methods by which I connect the governors to the roller; but I prefer that method first hereinbefore described.

I have described the governors as disconnected from the roller, so that they will not be turned when the rope is being wound up; but this construction, while it is very desirable and gives improved results, need not be followed. The bracket b could be made fast to the end of the roller, and I have frequently made it so. In this construction the governors would revolve with the roller when the escape-rope is being wound up.

The operation of the deviceis very easily comprehended. If the roller a be turned with great speed, the centrifugal force will cause the weights c2 cl to bethrown outward, which movement will tighten the brake-belts on the brakedrum, and thereby the speed of the roller will be checked. A person or weight suspended on the escape-rope will descend with a gradual and reasonably slow movement to the ground.

It will be understood also that I employ the two governors c c in order to get balanced governors and to increase the efficiency of the device. Very excellent results are obtained by using the single governor c; but the machine does not work so perfectly as when the two are employed.

It is not always necessary that a brake-belt put round an intermediate drum should be used. Brake-shoes suitably att-ached to t-he ends c c3 and arranged to bear on a drum or friction surface fixed to the frame A could be employed. I do not employ such constructions, because they are not so perfect in their operationnorso safe as the construction shown in the drawings and hereinbefore described.

I have shown the journal of the roller held in a bearing in the drum d. Instead of this, the journal a* could be made longer and held in a suitable bearing or boxing in the framing A. The drum in this instance would be independent of the roller and be lixed to the framing A by any suitable means. It will be further understood that it is not necessary that the ends y g2 of the belt g be arranged on opposite sides of the drum d. The end g' could be lengthened and carried around the drum and made fast to the bracket-arm on which the governor c is pivoted.

The brake belt or shoes employed in my device are never permitted to be wholly released from the brake-drum. The construction is such that slight friction may be maintained at all times when the roller is in motion. I sometimes employ a small device which aids in maintaining this constant friction; but I have not shown this device in my drawings, as it is of ordinary construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with the roller, of a ratchet-disk fixed to the end thereof, support or bracket placed loosely on the journal and against the end of the roller, pawls pivoted to the bracket and engaging with the teeth on the ratchet-disk, a governor pivoted to the bracket, a brake mechanism connected to the IIO governor, and a fixed brake-drum, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the roller,'abrack et placed at the end of the roller and extended on opposite sides of the journal thereof, and a iixed braking-drum or friction-surface, of the governors c c', pivoted on the opposite ends of the bracket, couplers pivoted to and on opposite sides of the pivotal centers of the governors, whereby the latter are balanced, the one against the other, and a brake mechanism connected to the said bracket and governors and adapted to bear upon the fixed brakingdrum, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the governors c c', arranged on opposite sides of the journal of the roller and supported on NEWMAN J. POWELL.

Witnesses:

l?. B. TURPIN,

R. W. BISHOP. 

